WASHINGTON,
DC - Special Agent Michael R. Bouchard, who supervised ATF's investigation
and apprehension of convicted Beltway snipers John Allen Muhammad and
Lee Boyd Malvo, has been chosen to head ATF's Office of Field Operations.

As
Assistant Director for Field Operations, Mr. Bouchard will oversee regulatory
and criminal enforcement for 23 field divisions throughout the country.
This includes personnel who inspect federally licensed firearms and
explosives dealers and manufacturers, all criminal investigators focusing
on illegal firearms and explosives matters, arson, violent gangs, and
alcohol and tobacco diversion. He will also oversee the resource deployment
of ATF's National Response Teams, which respond to major arsons and
bombings nationwide. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Bouchard was the
Deputy Assistant Director for Strategic Intelligence and Information.

Mr.
Bouchard began his career as a police officer and detective with a local
police department in Connecticut in 1979. He joined ATF in 1987, and
served in numerous positions at ATF Headquarters and across the country.
Mr. Bouchard was the Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field
Division where he was responsible for criminal and regulatory enforcement
issues in Maryland and Delaware. While Resident Agent in Charge of the
Boston Field Division covering western Massachusetts, ATF increased
its resources to combat firearms trafficking and gangs in the city.
Mr. Bouchard also handled the investigation into one of the largest
arson for profit fires in the history of Massachusetts. While Special
Agent in Charge of the Resource Management Branch, he oversaw the logistics
for the Oklahoma City deployment and all church fires in the mid to
late 1990s. He was Special Agent in Charge, Arson Enforcement Branch;
Chief, Arson and Explosives Programs Division; and Director, Youth Crime
Gun Interdiction Initiative.

As
a member of the National Response Team, Mr. Bouchard supervised ATF's
efforts at several major incidents, including the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks on the Pentagon.

A native
of Connecticut, Mr. Bouchard received a Bachelor of Science degree in
Fire/Arson Investigation from the University of New Haven, New Haven,
Conn.; Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the
National War College, Washington, D.C.

He
serves on the Arson and Explosives Committee with the International
Association of Police Chiefs, and previously served on committees with
the National Fire Protection Association and the International Association
of Arson Investigators.

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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives United States Department of Justice